Key Fragments are essential components for unlocking Hextech/Masterwork Chests in League of Legends. These chests contain a multitude of craveable rewards, these include: Champion Skins, Ward Skins, Champion Shards, Eternals Series, Mythic Essence, etc. To open these chests, intuitively, you’re required to possess a Hextech Key—made of three Key Fragments—in your inventory.
In this guide, we'll try our best to answer the question of how to get Key Fragments in League of Legends, possibly helping you maximize your chances of opening that chest that’s been sitting in your inventory for a couple of months now.
How are Key Fragments earned in League of Legends?
While chests are typically earned by achieving an S-rank performance on a chest-available champion or through completing event missions, Key Fragments are a bit more elusive. They are earned in a varying range of methods. The first and most obvious one is to just buy them with Riot Points (RP) or to (unironically) open Hextech/Masterwork Chests to earn Key Fragments, but these ‘tips’ are not as productive as you probably had hoped.
Winning Games
One of the primary ways to earn Key Fragments is by winning games, either Summoner’s Rift or ARAM—but it’s important to note that Summoner’s Rift is a bit more rewarding than ARAM. After a victory, there's a considerable chance you'll receive a Key Fragment as part of your post-game rewards. Moreover, the Honor system plays a crucial role in Key Fragment drops. Which transitions us to the next point.
Honor Capsules
Apparently, sportsmanship is being rewarded in this game. Showing teamwork, being an easygoing player individual, and receiving honors from your teammates highly increases your chances of obtaining Key Fragments. After a couple of good games, and with the sufficient honor level, you’ll be susceptible to receiving Key Fragments upon opening the League Client every couple of days.
Furthermore, as you climb the Honor levels, you'll receive Honor Capsules, which have a good chance of containing Key Fragments. These capsules are additional rewards for maintaining a positive attitude throughout your matches. So, not only does being a good teammate improve your in-game experience, but it also enhances your chances of obtaining Key Fragments.
Events and Special Promotions
The most productive way of earning Key Fragments in League of Legends, I’d suggest, is to keep an eye on the in-game announcements for special events—they’re the goldmine for earning any in-game components, such as Hextech/Masterwork Chests, Skin Shards, and of course, Key Fragments. Sometimes, in these events, you don’t necessarily need to complete all missions as Riot Games usually increases the drop rates of Key Fragments or provide XP Boosts that can help you obtain Key Fragments faster.
Tips For Maximizing The Key Fragment Drops
Of course, this is not all that we have to offer when it comes to earning Key Fragments. There are some extra tips that could potentially perk-up your ability to obtain keys.
- Play with Friends: It doesn’t matter much if you’re on a lose-streak with the boys. Gather the gang and form a premade group as their mere existence increases your chances of obtaining Key Fragments. The Honor system is more lenient when playing with friends, and winning games as a coordinated team often leads to more honors and, consequently, more Key Fragments.
- Honor & Be Honored By Non-Premade Players: If you’re playing with a premade group, it’s better to honor non-premade players and be honored by them. It’s a way of showing the game that you’re a supportive fellow that cares about all of his team; including the strangers that you’re playing with.
- Consistent Performance: This one is pretty straightforward. Do better, but even better, be consistent with your performance. At this point, it should be obvious that your performance has some influence on your Key Fragment drop-rate. Always aim for that S even if you don’t see a win in that game, and don’t be beaten down by a couple of losses; we’ve all been there.
By combining these methods while consistently playing the game, you can increase your chances of earning key fragments, and finally, maybe you’ll be able to shove these Hextech Chests off your inventory and replace them with either some good-looking skins or skins for Zac, or if you’re less fortunate then ward skins and champion shards.
